U.S. Embassy closes in Emirates after threat

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Americans said they were staying vigilant after U.S. missions in the United Arab Emirates closed Wednesday following a threat, and the embassy in Saudi Arabia shut down for an hour on what turned out to be false rumors of an explosion in the capital.\nArab anger against the United States soared this week after Israel's assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Hamas militant group, in the Gaza Strip Monday.\nAlthough the United States has denied any role, Arabs blame Washington, D.C. for supporting Israel and claim the Americans turn a blind eye to Israeli violence.\nThe State Department warned Tuesday against a "heightened threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests" as well as demonstrations and violent actions against Americans. It specified the Persian Gulf, Arabian Peninsula, Red Sea and North Africa as areas where terrorists could target transportation and maritime interests.\nIn Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, teenagers pelted the American Embassy's walls. Egyptian police increased the security around the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.\nIn the Emirates, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai, the commercial hub of the region, closed for the day after a "specific threat" was received Wednesday, said embassy spokeswoman Hilary Olsin-Windecker. Police with dogs checked cars near the Dubai consulate.\nShe refused to give the nature of the threat or how it was received, but said there was "no specific threat information against the American community in the UAE."\nThe spokeswoman said Abu Dhabi police had arrested a man. She declined to elaborate except to say his actions "had nothing to do with Sheik Yassin."\nA person close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the case concerned someone who was trying to "show off and flex his muscles," but who had triggered embassy security procedures.\nState Department spokesman Adam Ereli suggested Washington, D.C. remains concerned about the safety of its citizens in the region despite Hamas' backing away from its initial threats against the United States.\n"I think when threats are issued by terrorist organizations against American citizens and against American interests, we take those threats seriously," Ereli said.\nHe said the State Department issued its warnings for Americans because of the dangerous situation in the region. "It is prudent to take extra precautions in light of that situation," Ereli said.\nLater, a senior administration official, asking not to be identified, said the credibility of Wednesday's disavowal by Hamas cannot be assured.\nThe American University in Dubai, and other American schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were aware of the threat, but their staff said there had been no significant upgrading of security.\nJohn Botthoff of Evergreen, Colo., a design professor at the American University of Sharjah, said he did not feel threatened.\n"The Emirates has always taken security very seriously," he said. "Security is generally very subtle here"